A Texas man who had not been seen since before Christmas at Grand Canyon National Park was plucked by helicopter from a trail on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020 after hikers spotted him.

Martin Edward O’Connor, 58, was checked by an emergency medical team, cleared to go and reunited with a family member Thursday night, according to a park spokeswoman. It was not clear by Friday how or where he had spent the previous 11 days or what, if any, injuries he suffered.

O’Connor had last been seen Dec. 22, 2019 at Yavapai Lodge, a hotel within the national park where he had been staying since Dec. 17.

The first word that something was amiss came Monday, with a short news release and Facebook post from the Grand Canyon National Park: “Missing-Person Search Initiated at Grand Canyon.” The Park Service said O’Connor was believed to be traveling alone and asked anyone who saw or talked to him to get in touch.

On Wednesday, hikers did just that, going to a backcountry information office to report they had spotted the missing man, according to spokeswoman Lily Daniels. They said they saw O’Connor along the New Hance Trail, which the park says is “recommended only for highly experienced canyon hikers.”

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It’s the time of year when summer hiking is at its peak — and so are streams of headlines about missing hikers. Wandering off the trail is the most common reason people get lost.

You never want to be that person. And if you do get lost, you want to stay safe and get found. Quickly. The best advice, of course, is not to go missing in the first place.

“We teach ‘stay found,’” says Jane Simpson, chairwoman of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter’s Wilderness Travel Course, a popular outdoor skills course with a strong emphasis on navigation. “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of learning navigation basics, which really boils down to common sense. Even if you don’t take map-and-compass training, know where north and south are, where you started, and basically where you are in the world.”

By that Simpson means paying attention to your surroundings, which begins before you leave your house. Look at an online map or go to Google Earth for a basic orientation. Will you be hiking a ridgeline? Dropping into gullies? What prominent peaks are visible in the vicinity? Any stream crossings?

On the trail, carry a paper map, she advises, even if you use a smartphone app such as Gaia GPS that tracks your route. “Even a sketchy map will point out major features: Mountain X, River Y. Though you do need to know how to orient it. You need to know north and south.”

But what if after all that you still get lost? Here are six tips to help you get found…